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10 questions about the May 8 Park District and elementary levy election

May 8 is set to be a big day for Great Falls as voters will have the opportunity to take a stance on two major ballot issues.

Voters are being asked to consider the creation of Park District-1 with an assessment amount of $1.5 million annually for the first three years to address $12.6 million in deferred maintenance identified in the city's parks and recreation sites.

Great Falls Public Schools also is asking the community to say yes to additional funding through a $1.35 million elementary levy. If approved, the levy would bring the elementary operational budget to the maximum amount allowed by law, but the school district would still have to make $96,558 in reductions.

With so much at stake for the community's parks and schools, here are 10 things to know heading into the May 8 election.

1. What is a park district?

"A Park District is a special purpose district that allows us to access funds for the maintenance and operation of our parks," Patty Rearden, deputy director of Great Falls Parks and Recreation, said.

Funds for the Park District can be used to support parks, trails, forestry, operations, capital improvements, staffing and then aquatics and recreation facilities. They cannot be used for programming.

"The city's general fund doesn't adequately take care of what we need to do to take care of these amenities," Steve Herrig, director of Great Falls Parks and Recreation, said. "That's why we're in the deferred maintenance problem that we are."

Great Falls currently has $12.6 million in deferred maintenance for its city parks. These issues are considered critical projects that need to be addressed in the next five years.

Based on national industry standards, it is recommended that Great Falls employ 38.7 people to maintain its parks. This would balance out to 20 acres per employee.

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Jessica Poindexter rollerblades with her dog, Gabriel, along the Rivers Edge Trail.(Photo: Great Falls Tribune)

However, the Parks and Recreation Department only has 23.5 employees to manage its 57 developed parks, 52 buildings and facilities, 775 acres of developed land, 140 acres of undeveloped land, a compost site, 25 landscape medians and islands, 52 miles of trails and 36,000 trees. Despite the discrepancy, Herrig said he is only asking for one additional park laborer.

Maintenance issues include:

Trees should be trimmed every 4 to 7 years and are currently being trimmed on a 30- to 35-year schedule

7 of 18 parks with walking trails have paths that are in poor condition, including Gibson Park and Elks Riverside trails

City parks are watered by aging and inefficient irrigation systems, including manual systems that require significant staff hours and higher water usage

3. What happens if the park district doesn't pass?

If the city doesn't receive the funds it needs to maintain its parks, deferred maintenance will increase and the possibility of closing down facilities will loom as things deteriorate.

"It will be a combination of things," Herrig said. "Probably a continuation of deferred maintenance, obviously. Things won't get better. They will get worse. There probably will be some tiering of maintenance levels at certain parks — the more heavily used and more regional parks will probably receive higher maintenance and mowing schedules would change. Then there's always that possibility of the sale of park land."

"There's always that possible sale of park land—that's the one that I cringe about," Herrig said. "Being in this field for a long time, I don't like to think that way but that's a possibility that is out there."

According to research conducted by the Parks Department as it developed its master plan, approximately 79 percent of people in Great Falls oppose selling park land. Herrig said the situation is dire, but reducing the City's number of parks would do little to help the problem.

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Wadsworth Park(Photo: TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)

"What the possible sale of park land does for us, it's a one-time shot," Herrig said. "We're talking about our undeveloped areas that are probably not worth a whole lot. They would get us very minimal distance to getting to our $12.6 million and once you lose that green space, we can't get it back."

Herrig also noted that people tend to be for selling park land until their local park is on the chopping block.

Should it come to selling park land, the Parks Department would be required to host a public hearing and earn a 4-5 in favor vote from the City Commission.

5. How much would the park district cost the average homeowner?

The proposed assessment amount for the Park District is $1.5 million annually for the first three years. The assessment method would be based on taxable property value.

The estimated 2018 assessment for a property with a 2017 market value of $100,000 would be $1.91 per month.

6. Why is the school district running a levy?

The district has determined it will need $72,255,142 to roll over the budget for the 2018-2019 school year. This need was developed after determining there to be an estimated $1,920,000 in expenditures and only $70,689,779 in revenues. These estimations leave the district $1,565,363 short.

If the levy passes, it will decrease the magnitude of reductions the school district will need to make in the areas of teaching staff and educational programs. However, the district will still have to make $216,315 in reductions.

If the levy passes and the maximum budget has been authorized, GFPS cannot run another levy unless enrollments significantly increase or school funding laws change.

The increase in taxes for the proposed operational levy of $1.35 million on a $100,000 market valued home is approximately $13.28 a year or $1.11 a month.

For a $150,000 market valued home, the cost is $19.92 a year or $1.66 a month. For a $200,000 market valued home, the cost is $26.56 a year or $2.22 a month.

Property owners can calculate the amount for their own property by using the property tax calculator on the school district's website.

These are approximate costs because the mill value of the district changes every year in August.

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A student at Whittier Elementary School joins his classmates on the playground before school starts on Wednesday morning.(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/RION SANDERS)

8. Why can't the district use funds from the $98.8 million bond passed in October 2016?

A bond can only be used for buildings and facilities. Montana Code Annotated states that bond levy proceeds can only be used for capital spending projects like the building of new schools and the repair of existing schools and cannot be used to fund staffing, supplies and other types of general education expenditures.

The $1.35 million elementary levy, if approved, would be used for the instructional and operational costs of the activities that happen inside the buildings that funds from the $98.8 million bond levy are renovating and building.

9. What happens if the levy doesn't pass?

The district will need to make $1,349,048 in reductions.

Superintendent Tammy Lacey presented a few options to cut costs during a February Community Budget Meeting but said each one will be a blow to the district. Her recommendations included shifting costs to other resources like the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation and having the district's additions and mental health counselors work for a separate agency.

Other reductions included not replacing a supervisory staff position once the current employee retires, changing insurance benefits and making staff reductions. In addition to the 22 Full-Time Equivalent staff positions that were cut last year to roll over the 2017-2018 budget, Lacey said the district might need to cut an additional 21.5 FTE or reduce support staff by 100 people.

10. Is there any tax relief available?

The Property Tax Relief Application and the Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit Application are both available to those who qualify. The applications and qualifications can be found on the GFPS website under Property Tax Relief Info.

For more information about the GFPS $1.35 million elementary levy, attend a community meeting on Monday, April 16 at noon or 6:00 p.m. at the Paris Gibson Education Center Cafeteria (2400 Central Ave.)

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the school district's revenues and subsequent cuts necessary. The total revenue is $70,689,779, leaving the district $1,565,363 short. GFPS need to make $216,315 in reductions whether or not the elementary levy passes.